Changing Times
by alygrace
Summary: Being a teenager is tough enough. Times are getting dark again in the wizarding world. Bad things keep happening and all Lily can do is watch helplessly. Well, that's not exactly her style. She has a slight flare for the dramatics... Lily/Scorpius
1. Chapter 1

"I would like to personally congratulate the graduating class of 2024. They have overcome many challenges in their past seven year spent within this castle. They have laughed together, fought together, and some have even fallen in love. They have been safe here; something that has become sparse in today's world. I'm afraid that we are entering into dark days in the Wizarding World once more; but as I send these former students into the real world, I know with all certainty that they will also overcome these dangers. This is a smart, level-headed, and resourceful group of young adults. Maybe they are exactly what we will need in the days to come. I am immensely proud of each and every one of the people sitting before me. I am eager to see their bright and promising futures unfold." At this point, Headmaster McGonagall wiped a lone tear from her cheek. As I sat there, surrounded by my huge family, I worried about what McGonagall said. Daddy has mentioned that particular danger for months now. I'm scared for my brother, for Scor, for Rose, and for all the other graduates who were sitting a few rows in front of me.

I wanted with every fiber of my being to believe that they will all have bright futures. Al is going into Quidditch: following Mum's footsteps. He would be safe, blissful, and if I knew my big brother at all, totally ignorant of his surroundings. Scor however was going into the Ministry to work for my father. He would be directly fighting against everything going on. My stomach rolled just thinking about it.

"If you would all join me in applauding the class of 2024; Well done students. I am pleased to say your hard work has paid off. You've graduated." She said with a smile, clearly trying to hold in her underlying excitement. I joined in, mechanically clapping my hands and smiling. James and Nadia were hugging, no doubt remembering their graduation this time last year. My biggest brother looked at me sideways, asking with his eyes_you okay little sis?_ I nodded, reassuring him, but also reassuring myself. I needed to believe that Scor would be fine, mostly because I knew he would be. I whooped and hollered with Teddy and James as Al and Scor walked out of the Great Hall. I scooped my nephew Gabriel, Teddy's son, into my arms and twirled a bit. The towheaded little boy giggled and screamed with glee.

As the crowd rushed out following the graduates to the front lawn for pictures, my family lingered to talk to the teachers. Professor Longbottom and his family were there, celebrating Rory's graduation too. I hugged Ally, the youngest Longbottom. She had just finished with her third year and she looked absolutely ecstatic for summer to be here.

Near the front of the Hall were the Malfoy's. Astoria and Draco were talking warmly to another family, while Narcissa was sticking to the background. She looked awkwardly out of place here at such a happy event. I've met her a few times, and instantly I disliked her. She was snotty, rude, and thought she was higher above everyone. Astoria caught my eyes, smiling kindly. She was the exact opposite of her mother in law in every way possible. Besides them, Scor's younger brother, Ajax, was running circles, chasing Scor's cat Wicker. I also saw Ariel, Scor's older sister, holding her daughter Mira, chatting quietly with her husband. She looked annoyed and was gesturing wildly around. Scor was still nowhere in sight.

Suddenly, I was bombarded by giggles and the smell of multiple perfumes. I turned around and saw my best friends in the whole world laughing behind me. Arden's older sister Romaine graduated today too. My best friend's eyes were brimming with tears but she had a small smile on her face, and I knew she missed her parents, who died 3 years ago. I rushed forward and hugged her tightly.

"They can see you babe. And I know they're proud of Romy." I whispered in her ear. She nodded and stepped back. Dom and Lissa were arguing, once again, this time about why Henry and Al shouldn't be friends or if they should be friends. There had been many years of rivalry between the two raven-haired boys. Henry and Dom have been dating literally for nearly 7 years now. It was only _mildly_ disturbing. Oh, and Al fancies Lissa: much to my annoyance. I mean, come on; there are 500 girls at this school. Why did he have to choose my best friend as the apple of his eye? Thankfully, Lissa hasn't given into his gross charm yet. But I know it's only a matter of time until that day comes. Whatever.

"The more they hang out together, the more Al sees me; which is _bad _Dom! I don't want him getting ideas into that nasty little head of his!" Lissa hissed, just as the protagonist came right up behind her. I had to smile at my goofy brother. He spun Lissa around, dipped her, and then caught her before she crash landed on the ground.

"Do I get a congratulatory kiss Whitlock? Just one?" he wiggled his eyebrows. Lissa blushed before kissing him lightly on the cheek. Al turned beet red, dropped Lissa from shock, and then started dancing. Yes I know ladies and gents, he's a class act. Lissa collected herself from the floor, blushing madly.

"Alright lot! Back to my place for the party!" Al yelled, projecting his voice throughout the entire hall. Every graduate whoops then rushes outside to catch the train. My family starts to walk out, but I lingered. I stood on my tiptoes to try and see over everyone; but it's useless. I'm 5'2, which is weirdly short for someone in my family. I'm at least two heads shorter than everyone I'm close too, except Kate. I kept searching for Scor until nearly everyone had left the Hall. He and I had become close friends this year. He was there for me when I broke up with whatever boy I was dating (there have been a lot). And I helped him along with choosing his future and what job offer he would accept.

I sighed, guessing that he had already left to catch the train. Just as I began walking out of the Hall, a voice called out behind me. I turned, and then smiled.

"Hey Lils. Walk with me to the train? I need a big bad Potter to protect me." My friend Damian said, smirking.

Damian had just graduated too. His dimple deepened as I rolled my eyes. "You realize that you're two years older than me, correct? You should be protecting me! But that's fine; I'm most capable of handling myself thank you very much!" I replied. This time he barked out a real laugh and slung his arm over my shoulder.

"I'm sure there are some things that you can't handle on your own, but my services are up for sale!" he joked.

I gasped at him and swatted his hand. "Damian Knight, watch your tongue! Someone may hear the true you, not the suck-up king you have the adults thinking you are!" I snickered as his blue green eyes widened in mock hurt.

"Such a little spit fire, you are! And don't lie; you know you've thought of taking up my offers before!" He said, waggling his eyes at me.

It was then my turn to blush. There had definitely been times that I thought about being with Damian. He had been on Ravenclaw's Quidditch team as seeker and hung out with Scor and Al frequently. At parties we always ending up dancing with each other and we may have kissed once or twice. With his chocolate brown curls and bright green eyes, he had girls flocking to him, begging him to frisk them in the hallways (no lie, I saw it three times). But he was still sweet and a gentleman to all girls, especially me.

"Think what you want Knight. Whatever helps you sleep at night." I said before skipping off a bit in front of him. I heard him laugh behind me.

"I sleep like a baby every night Lils, because I see you in my dreams!" He called after me.

I turned, laughing. "That's the only place you'll ever see me if you can't keep up!" I started to jog away as he chased me.

When he caught me, he spun me around and kissed me lightly on the cheek. "Don't let what you hear affect how you treat me." He said, staring into my eyes.

"Same goes for you." I replied. There have been plenty of rumors about me throughout the years. Recently, they've taken a turn for the worse.

Some girl that has the hots for Scor has been spreading rumors that we're together and that I'm pregnant with his baby. Come on, really? As much as being with Scor sounds like fun; I can't picture us as a couple. We've been so close I wouldn't want to ruin our friendship. Plus, he has an awful habit of running away after a relationship gets serious. Then there's Damian; who is nearly perfect in every way. I've never seen him be mean to anyone, he has a great sense of humor, and he's fucking hot! How much better could he get? But through it all, he doesn't put butterflies in my tummy. He would be a fun time, but that's about it.

"Oh, don't worry Lily. I'll prove myself to you." He said, as if he could read my thoughts. He grasped my hand as we walked to catch the train, knowing it wouldn't leave without us.

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**Hi again everyone! This is a prequel to Halloween Spice. This is set 2 years prior to that story. Hope you enjoy it!**

**I edited this chapter, so you may or may not notice some small changes. Nothing major really!**


	2. Chapter 2

Before we got on the train, Damian asked me to talk for another minute. He took me behind the conductor's station. "Lily, we need to talk, seriously for once." Damian started. His eyes flashed as he took a step closer to me and I leaned my back against the wall. "Dame, I'm always serious." I joked, hoping he would lighten up. He simply rolled his eyes. "I see how you are with Scorpius. He's no good for you Lils." I couldn't help but laugh, which obviously upset Damian.

"There is absolutely nothing going on between me and Malfoy, I can promise you that. As you can tell, I am nothing like Sheridan is. I'm not his type." I explained. Damian clearly disagreed. "He only dated Rosie to get you jealous! Even if he doesn't know it himself, I can see it. He's in love with you Lily." Damian said with a sigh. "Thank you for your concern Damian, really. But Scor and I will never be together. That would be like dating Al or Teddy. I would never do that." I said, starting to get annoyed. I began to walk away when Damian grabbed my wrist. He spun me around and pulled me closer. "I'm just trying to help." He said pleadingly. He kissed my cheek gently before walking away to catch the train. As I looked around, completely stunned, I saw that someone had been standing across the way, watching us.

On the train, we found a compartment with a few friends. Al and Scor were there, along with Rose, Dominique, Lissa, and Arden. My curiosity rose when I saw Lissa and Al sitting awfully close to each other, but decided to let it go. "Ah, Damian, you finally choose to join us. And you brought my favorite redhead!" Al exclaimed. Rose gasped and swatted at him, pretending to be offended. His eyes softened when he replied, "Sister trumps cousins Rosa sorry!"

"Don't worry Rosie, you're my favorite red head." Scor said flirtatiously. I rolled my eyes and plopped onto the floor in front of him. Damian took the seat next to Arden. "Now I'm offended, Grad." I said, pretending to cry. He chuckled, "Kinda hard to choose when you bloody Weasleys and Potters took over the school so nearly every girl has red hair!"

"Not all of us do sweetie." Arden said, twirling her chestnut brown hair around her finger. She winked at Scor and Damian. "And we all appreciate the rare mix of browns and blondes Garden. It's refreshing." Damian winked back. I leaned back onto Scor's knees and sighed. I just couldn't come to terms that this was their last time riding the train as students. I can't imagine Hogwarts without these guys. It was hard enough when James left last year. Now I'm going to be the only Potter for another two years. Totally bizarre. And what was with Damian? Warning me not to go out with Scor, his best friend? Something was clearly bothering him.

It seemed that I wasn't the only one feeling nostalgic. The new graduates were talking about their past seven years at Hogwarts warmly. "We came here for the first time as scrawny little shits!" Al laughed. "Well you haven't changed too much Potter." Lissa teased. The compartment hummed with laughter while Al elbowed Lissa in the ribs. "Thanks for noticing Whitlock! I've known you've been in love with me since our first fateful meeting." He replied and waggled his eyebrows. Now it was Lissa's turn to blush. No one else knew, but she secretly did like Al, a lot. "Gag me Al. Not everyone is in love with you." Dom said while pretending to throw up.

"Anyway, how lonely will you guys be without the party animals of Hogwarts present?" Scor said while fiddling with the ends of my hair. "Oh we'll miss you guys immensely. It's not like there aren't plenty of new guys to choose from between the 6th and 7th years. Plus there is your party on Halloween like always." I replied while leaning into his touch. As much as I hated to admit it, I felt something more when he touched me, and it scared me to pieces.

"Hey now, watch the guy talk in front of your big brother. I don't want to hear that shit." Al remarked. "So she can't talk about boys, but you're allowed to flirt with her best friend right in front of her?" Lissa joked. "Ah, but this isn't flirting Vasilisa. What we have is pure love." Al put his arm around her and before I could object, Lissa flew out of her seat. "And now I'm purely sick." She said before darting out of the compartment. It was silent for a few seconds before everyone burst out laughing at Al's expense. He huffed and puffed in embarrassment before he rushed out of the compartment, probably to go make sure Lissa wasn't upset. He truly did care for her. He just didn't show it correctly.

"They should just bone to get it out of their systems." Damian said. There was a chorus of agreements throughout the compartment. "Ew, please don't even say that. The thought of them together makes my insides squirm." I whined. "You're going to have to get used to things like this Potter. Al is a grown man now. He has needs. Lissa is almost a woman. She can fulfill those particular needs." Damian said, a wicked glint in his eyes. He was daring me to get upset, I could tell. "Why don't you fulfill those needs for him then Dame? I bet you're more than capable." I snapped and grinned and he grinned back. For a few moments, our eyes connected.

That moment dissipated when Scor pulled too hard on my hair. "Uh, ow Scor! That hurt!" I yanked my hair over my shoulder and away from him. He's so weird sometimes. He can be totally upbeat and fun and flirty, and then turn moody and depressed. "Sorry Lils, it got caught in my ring." He lied. I let it go and rolled my eyes. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. There was talking, gossiping, pranking, crying, and laughing going on in that short amount of time, which is completely normal.

When the train arrived at Kings Cross, no one got up. We all looked at each other with fondness. Rose wiped a lone tear off her cheek. "Now stop your blubbering everyone! It's certainly not the end of the world! Hell, we're all going on vacation together in a few weeks! Now get up and get ready to party!" I said, leaping up. "Hell yeah! Cabo San Lucas, here we come!" Scor said, joining me. He draped his arm over my shoulder and we led our motley group onto the platform to our awaiting families.

Instantly, we were swarmed by a sea of red hair. My family gushed over all of us. The thing is, most of us have been friends for much longer than just our Hogwarts years. Lissa and Arden's fathers both worked for my Dad as Aurors. They all went through the training together, so our families instantly bonded. Damian's mother is Katie Bell, who is best friends with my Aunt Angelina. Darling Kate's father is Dean Thomas, who was close friends with my Dad at Hogwarts. We've all known each other for so long, it's like a big old happy family (most of the time.)

"Ted and Vic couldn't come back with us. Gabe and Nolan were getting fussy, but they wish their best! Now, where is that brother of yours?" Mum asked, hugging me. We all scanned around for Al and I immediately spotted the Malfoy family. Scor had left me to join them, but things looked tense. His grandmother was still there, which always added tension. Even though I didn't like her very much, I certainly pitied her. She seemed more sad than bitter these days. She was getting up there in age, which I think is forcing her to relive her days as an almost Death Eater.

Scor caught me looking and gave me a cheeky grin. I rolled my eyes and smiled. I continued to look for Al until we heard a ruckus from our left on the platform. Deciding to go investigate, I found my big brother nose to nose with a newly Slytherin grad, Sebastian Nott. When it became clear that Scor was nothing like his father had been at Hogwarts, Sebastian took the role of resident prick. And now he was arguing with my brother. Fantastic.

I rushed to Al's side to help if anything happened, but Damian and Scor beat me to it. "Sebastian, you don't want to do this. Not here, not now." Damian said. Sebastian just grinned. "This isn't your battle Knight. Go find your little girlfriend and beat it. I would say the same to you Malfoy, but he stole your girl." Sebastian's eyes flickered over to me for a nanosecond. Heat rushed to my face when everyone looked at me.

"It doesn't matter if whatever you did to piss Al off had nothing to do with us. We're involved now due to that comment. You better shut up before we get any more pissed." Scor growled. Nothing seemed to faze Sebastian. "Leave my sister out of this. You hexed Lissa, so this is between you and I. You're out of line and deserve to be beaten to a pulp. But since my little sister is watching, I'm not going to do that. What I am going to do is let you go. I won't forget this and you shouldn't either. Next time we see each other, I will show you no mercy." Al threatened before walking away from Sebastian.

My heart was in my throat when Al mentioned Lissa. I looked around, frantic to find her. "Al! Al wait! What happened to Liss? Al!" I screamed before I chased after him. But he didn't need to answer. I found all my friends gathered around a bench. Lissa's head was on Kate's lap. "Is she okay? Oh my god, what happened?" I cried. Lissa's face was insanely pale and she looked to be unconscious. "He hit her with some hex. We aren't sure what it was yet. Her parents aren't here; she was coming with me back to your house. My parents are telling them what happened before we take her to Saint Mungo's." Kate explained. While she spoke, Lissa's eyes fluttered open. Her bright blue eyes were bloodshot and groggy.

"How you feeling babe?" Arden asked, holding Lissa's hand. "Did Al kill Nott for me? God I feel like I have a massive hangover." Lissa whined. We all laughed, relieved she seemed okay for the moment. My Dad arrived at the scene then, and went into full blown Head Auror mode. He questioned Lissa and anyone else that had seen anything.

"Dad, it was Sebastian. You saw Al fighting with him. Go find him and arrest him!" I said. "It isn't that easy Lily. From what I can see, he didn't break the law. Yes, he attacked Vasilisa for no apparent reason besides to irk Al. But the spell he used, whatever it was, isn't illegal. I have no grounds to arrest him." Dad explained. He seemed frustrated and distracted, which got me even more upset.

"Sir, he didn't even raise his wand or speak a word. One minute Lissa and Al were talking; the next Lissa went down like a rock." Kate said. "Is this the New Era stuff Dad? I read about it in the Prophet." I asked, fearing the worst. "Not here Lily." My brother whispered in my ear and led me away from the group. "You can't just go around talking about that Lillian or else the next one getting attacked will be you." James warned. "It's not fair James! This shouldn't be happening. I don't know what's going on, but my friends are getting hurt." I said. He enveloped me into a hug. "I know, I know. Let the New Era stuff go for now. When the time is right, we'll explain everything to you. If you see it in the Prophet, don't read it. What they're saying isn't the whole truth. Just enjoy your summer. Lissa is fine, Al is fine, and we're all fine." James said.

A huge part of my wanted to believe him, but I couldn't. Not with Lissa hurt on a bench in King's Cross. Not with him, Scor, and Daddy directly fighting whatever this mystery force is. This summer just got extremely complicated.

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**Hope you're liking this! I kind of prefer this story to Halloween Spice because I can expand and add so many characters! If you have any thoughts, comments, ideas, or catch any mistakes, let me know by reviewing! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

Al's party was moved to Damian's house, seeing my whole family went to the hospital to be with Lissa. Dad, James, and Kate's father went back to the Ministry to officially report and document what happened. Lissa's parents arrived within an hour. They had been on mission in Scotland, for Merlin only knows what. Mrs. Whitlock looked absolutely distraught when she arrived while Mr. Whitlock was cool and collected. Lissa had a tense relationship with both her parents. They thought she should be more responsible, yadda yadda. Deep down, I know they care about her.

Lissa turned out to be completely fine. They wanted to observe her for a while in case there was any delayed reaction to the curse, but Lissa refused. "I just want to go home." She sighed while her parents discussed her discharge with the Healer. "We know Liss. Don't worry. If they don't discharge you, we'll kidnap you and take you back to my place to relax." I said, hugging my best friend. All five of us girls were in the room with her. Dom was reclining in an armchair, levitating a stool while Kate and Arden were looking at magazines on the couch.

The five of us have been close for as long as I can remember. Dom and I were born within weeks of each other. Nana has pictures of us, side by side, in every stage of our life. They dressed us alike, so people thought we were twins all the time. Like, hello people! One baby is a blonde with huge green eyes and porcelain skin and the other is a freckled redhead with decently pretty blue eyes. We looked nothing alike. A matching outfit does not make us twins! Kate was with us since Dom and I were about 6 months old. Her dad, Dean Thomas, was one of my Dad's closest friends at Hogwarts. When the men finally realized their babies were the same age and all girls, they arranged play dates for every other day. Arden and Lissa's fathers were Aurors with my Dad, and we all met in magic pre-school. (Yes that's a real thing. Lavender Brown started it. Now, it's customary for children from wizarding families to attend for their primary schooling.)

And it's been happy ever after! There have been a few fights between us, and a couple of attempts to break up our friendship by some evil forces (I'm looking at you Diana and Rosie), but we've stuck with each other through it all. They're more like my sisters than anything else.

"Thanks Lils. God, what could they possibly be talking about out there? Look, I'm fine!" She said before jumping up and dancing around the room. We all looked at each other before joining her. The Healer and Whitlocks walked back in the room to see five crazy girls dancing around the room…to no music. "Ahem! AHEM!" The Healer coughed, trying to get our attention. We stopped and stared at him. "Ms. Whitlock, you are free to go. But, if any problems shall arrive, you are to come back immediately. Understood?" The Healer scolded. "Yes sir! Absolutely! Thank you so much!" Lissa yelped.

As we all said our goodbyes, Lissa pulled me aside. "Tell Al…thanks. For everything. Kate told me how he confronted Sebastian to defend me. That means a lot." Lissa beamed. I could see their past argument now meant nothing, which was a good thing. "I definitely will. Sometimes he can be a real hero. Just a little immature at times." I joked, hugging her.

Teddy came to take me home and I gave everyone one last hug goodbye. "Next time I see you, we'll be on our way to Mexico!" I exclaimed. God I'm so excited for this trip. Mum and Dad had booked a villa (which is actually a 7 bedroom mansion!) in an all inclusive resort for us and a few of our friends. A lot of my cousins would be coming too. I think there is about 18 kids coming, give or take. It's going to be absolutely crazy.

When I arrived home with Teddy, it was completely empty. Al and James had gone over to Scor's house while Ted and Vic went home with the boys. After I finished unpacking, I found my cutest little dress that Vic and Dom made me buy over Christmas break. Since there was nothing better to do, I figured I would catch the tail end of the party. I slipped the ivory dress on, sprayed my curls, and went on my way.

Have I ever explained my hatred for Flooing? Most people prefer it, but I despise it. The dust hurts my eyes and makes them insanely red. I always seem to mess up where I'm going. If I say "James's Apartment" as clear as day, it will take me to the next building over (which happens to be a Muggle building. You can imagine some poor bloke's surprise when I emerged from his fireplace while he prepared for a hot date.

I seriously thought about having Dad Apparate me over, but how embarrassing would that be? No, I would Floo. I grabbed a handful of the dust and stepped into the fireplace in my room. Squeezing my eyes shut, I thought about all the details of Damian's house. Finally, I dropped the powder and exclaimed, "Damian Knight's living room!"

There was a bright flash, silence, then an eruption of laughter and music. I opened my eyes and saw that I had successfully done it! I would recognize the house anywhere! The golden curtains, burgundy couch, oh and the roaring party helped too. I stepped out gracefully and made my way through the party, searching for a familiar face. Then I saw Arden and my friend Frankie talking near the back of the room.

"Don't worry you lot, the party has arrived!" I said, twirling a little when I reached them. Frankie leaned down and hugged me tight. "Hello Lillian darling. Glad you could join us!" He said, laughing. Yes, Frankie is the son of the legendary Neville Longbottom. He's a sweet kid that has always been one of my best friends.

"Hey Lils. Surprised you came. I thought for sure you would go home and nap. We've had a pretty long day." Arden said, smirking. "I could say the same for you missy!" I replied. "Lily, we both know a party isn't a party without us! It's like our gift to Damian for his graduation!" Arden laughed. I giggled along with her.

"What's your present to me ladies?" Asked a cool voice behind us. We turned and there was the host himself. "In your dreams Damian." Arden teased. "Yeah Knight, these ladies are all mine." Frankie said before slinging his arms around Arden and my shoulders. "We'll see about that. We are all living together for three weeks in a foreign country! Anything could happen." Damian said with his eyes on me. I couldn't help the flush that came up to my cheeks when he acted like that.

I decided to just laugh it off. "Don't make me regret Al inviting you Dame. Now come dance with me." I said before skipping off onto the dance floor. He quickly followed. With the music flowing and the pulsating bodies around us, I was able to completely loose myself in dancing. All the horrors of the day were forgotten as Damian wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me closer. I wound my fingers through his hair and sighed contentedly.

We danced like this for a while until I got thirsty. "Got any drinks at this party Knight? Because I certainly wasn't offered one." I teased. "You want a drink; I'll get you a drink. Come with me Potter." He took my hand in his and led me to his kitchen. There were three house elves behind the counter, surrounded by dozens of bottles. "Take your pick, my lady." Damian said. I glanced at all the bottles nervously.

I haven't drunk any alcohol since Halloween, which ended badly. My ex-boyfriend, Ben, had made a huge show of breaking up with me there and I decided to drown myself in booze. It wasn't pretty by any means. By the end of the night, I was so drunk that I decided it was a brilliant idea to go right up to Ben and punch him in the nose. I broke my pinky in the process.

"Um, I don't know. Anything nonalcoholic? Pumpkin juice?" I asked tentatively. Damian just laughed at me. "Nope, no pumpkin juice, love. Here, this pretty lightweight." He said before offering me a pink foamy drink. I took a sip. "Tastes fruity." I laughed before drinking the rest. "Can I have another?" I asked and Damian laughed. "Sure babe." He grabbed me yet another drink before leading me back to the dance floor.

Before we even made it through 3 songs, I realized how drunk I was. Everything seemed so hazy and muffled. All I wanted to do was dance and maybe go kiss the broomstick that was mounted on the wall beside me.

"Dame, this is an amazing party. Sthough mush fun!" I slurred, giggling. Damian didn't seem to notice. I allowed his to dip me, and I gazed at the ceiling in wonderment. "Knight, let her go. She needs to go home." A sexy voice said behind me.

I spun around, hoping to look alluring. Instead, I tripped over my own two feet and was on a high speed track to the floor before strong arms caught me. They helped me stand up, somewhat stable, and the owner of these arms looked me square in the eyes. "Scorpy! Hello darling, fancy meeting you here!" I purred and I pushed myself against him. He rolled his eyes and looked over my head to talk to Damian while I pouted. God, he is such a party pooper.

"Come on Lily, I'm taking you home." Scor said. He gently tugged me along, away from Damian. "I don't want to leave! I want to dance! I want to have fun! Look, that broomstick is just begging me to kiss it!" I whined. That actually made Scor laugh and I beamed with pride. "This is what happens when Damian doesn't know the drinks at his own party." Scor mumbled. "Oh Damian is so wonderful Scor! He's so charming and kind. I said how thirsty I was and he took me to get a drink. A lovely little house elf gave me a pink drink! So cute!" I explained, hoping Scor wouldn't be so mad at Damian anymore.

"I'm not mad at Damian, if that's what you're thinking. I just think that he should know what the fuck kind of drink he's giving to a fifteen year old with a bad history all ready!" Scor said. "Hey! Just because I'm fifteen doesn't mean I can't hold my booze thank you very much." I said, offended. I couldn't help the tears that filled my eyes. When they came down my cheeks, I wiped at them furiously.

"Are you crying? Lily I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I'm sorry." Scor said, wiping a tear away with his thumb. I looked up at him with my sad eyes. "Is that how you see me? Just some pathetic fifteen year old alcoholic?" I snapped. His eyes softened when he realized how hurt I actually was.

"Lily if I actually thought that of you, would I be here right now? You're so much more than that and you know it. I care about you Lils. Hell, I even love you. Now please, you need to go home. Al already left but James and Nadia are still here somewhere. I'd prefer not to get you in trouble with him tonight." Scor said, hugging me tightly. When he pulled away, he gently kissed my forehead.

We side along Apparated straight into my bedroom. In excitement, I squealed and belly flopped onto my bed. Just as Scor was about to leave, I looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. "Please, stay with me? I don't want to be alone." I whispered. "You're brother is right down the hall. You're parents could walk in at any second Lils." Scor rationalized.

"Please." I asked. I crawled over to the foot of the bed and grabbed his hand. I could tell he wanted to. It was pretty obvious, given the way he was looking at me. He sighed before pulling his hand away so he could take his shirt off.

"If I'm sleeping here, I might as well get comfortable." He said, "No expectations Lily. Just sleeping. You're drunk and want to cuddle, and as your dutiful best friend, I will oblige." He explained before hopping into my bed.

My thoughts began to clear slightly as Scor climbed into bed. But at that moment, with Scor's arms around me, I didn't want to think anymore. I turned to face him, looking straight into his deep grey eyes. "You said you loved me." I murmured. Scor chuckled. "How could I not love you." He replied, kissing my forehead again.

It didn't matter what type of love he was talking about. He could mean he loved me like he loved his sister or as a friend. I just didn't care. All I wanted to do was see what it was like to kiss him. "I want to kiss you." I said simply. I knew I shouldn't have said it. I knew it would make things so much more complicated than it already was. I mean, this is my brother's absolute best friend. Twenty years ago, his family was my father's worst enemies.

But here we were, a Malfoy in my bed. This particular Malfoy pulled me closer and kissed me gently. It was that exact moment that my drunken self fell asleep. Scor chuckled, settling in for a quick nap before he had to leave. Could you imagine the blood bath that would occur if any one of my family members walked in? But in that moment, I was the happiest I had been in a long time.

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**Hope you're all enjoying! I'm working super hard on this! So please leave some feedback for my baby!**


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up to a loud clattering downstairs, already knowing what it was. James had insisted on cooking breakfast at least three times a week this summer. Ever since he and Nadia had gotten engaged, he wanted to prove that he was good husband material (like that could ever happen!). I sat up groggily. My bed was a total mess. It almost looked like someone else slept in it with me last night. I laughed at myself. That wouldn't have happened.

I got out of bed and laughed at my reflection. My makeup was all over, making me look like a red haired raccoon. Wiping most of it off, I made my way towards the kitchen. "Good morning sleeping beauty!" James said with a chuckle, "You realize what time it is, right?"

"Yes I know what time it is. So what? Sleep is the best thing ever!" I snapped. Plopping myself into my chair, which has my name carved in it since I was six, I asked for a coffee. "I may or may not have the absolute worst hangover ever." I moaned. "So you did end up at Knight's house?" James asked. I nodded slowly. "Funny, I didn't see you at all."

"Nadia and I didn't stay very long. She doesn't like parties too much." James answered. I raised my eyebrow in surprise. "Nadia doesn't like parties? Is she aware that she is marrying the uncrowned king of parties at Hogwarts? Wait, didn't you two meet at a party?" I laughed. James just glared at me and handed me a coffee. "I've grown, dear Lillian. I'm mature now!" He whined. I couldn't help but laugh at my big brother. "And someone else is growing up too, I believe. Isn't Dom's birthday tomorrow? Then yours is while we're all in Cabo! I can't believe my little babies are turning 16! God I feel old." James pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.

"This birthday isn't even that big a deal. Not like next year's birthday will be! This is just a filler birthday." I pouted. "And what are you getting Nikki for her filler birthday?" Al joined the conversation when he came into the kitchen. Totally ignoring whatever it was James was making, he grabbed an apple and bit into it. "I've had her birthday present ready since last summer. What about you?" I bragged. Both my brothers rolled their eyes. "I just got her some new Quidditch gloves." James said with a shrug. "I got her new wrist protectors. I can't have a candidate for captain breaking her wrist! Last year she probably got hers mended after every game!" Al said. "Well that's very thoughtful of you both! But do you think she'll get captain? I was kinda maybe hoping that I would get it?" I looked at them both with hopeful eyes.

"Obviously it's going to be between you and Dommy. But it isn't up to us Lils. McGonagall will make the final decision. I wish I could help more." Al said. Both my brothers had been Captain, along with both my parents. Mum took over for Dad when he left school, Al was Captain of the Slytherin team since his fifth year, and James was Captain of Gryffindor since his sixth year. If I didn't get it, I would practically be disowned. Okay maybe that's a little dramatic. I wouldn't be disowned but I know everyone would be super disappointed in me.

I joined the team when I was a first year, which was unheard of until Dad did it too. It was me and Dom, naturally. She was a Beater, I was the Seeker, James was a Chaser, and Freddie was the Keeper. We won every Cup until James graduated. Last year, it was Slytherin versus Gryffindor. I totally let Al win since it was his last Cup. But being a Captain was in my blood. "Will you be okay if Dominique gets it?" James asked, obviously getting concerned. "I don't know. I'd be disappointed but happy for her at the same time."

"Don't worry Red, you have it in the bag." Said a slick voice from the living room. My eyes bulged as I glanced at my brothers. Al looked sheepishly at me. "Scor slept on the couch last night. Said he meant to Apparate home but came here instead. Hope you don't mind, little miss raccoon." Al whispered with a grin. I rolled my eyes at his immaturity. "Don't be jealous that I'm a prettier raccoon than you are a human boy." I teased.

Scor eyed me as he entered the kitchen with his empty cereal bowl. "Quite ferocious this morning aren't we?" he chuckled. He passed by me and brushed his elbow against mine. There was a glint in his eye that I didn't quite understand. He was acting almost like we had a secret or something. "It would help if I remembered what the hell happened last night. Damian got me pissed drunk and the next thing I remember is waking up to Mary Poppins over there banging around in here." I laughed. "I take offense to that. Now try this raspberry muffin and tell me if it's any good please." He shoved a pink muffin into my hands.

I took a tentative bite. James' concoctions never ended very well. During Easter break, he sent Al to the hospital after trying a Treacle Tart. The muffin was sweet and fluffy, and was actually quite tasty. Deciding to play a prank on dear Jamie, I gasped and slumped into my chair. They all surrounded me instantly. "Lily! Oh crap, are you okay? I knew I should have gone easy on adding my own ingredients. Now I've gone and killed my own sister." James fretted. I chuckled, revealing I was totally fine.

"The muffin is perfect James! I really like it!" I smiled. James' face regained some color as he took a deep breath. "You aren't dead? My muffin is good? MY MUFFIN IS GOOD!" he exclaimed. Scooping me up into his arms, he paraded through the entire house chanting, "The muffin was good!"

"Well good morning children. Glad you all finally woke up!" Dad laughed as he and Mum came into the house. They had a lot of bags in their hands, so it was pretty clear they had gone shopping. "Woah! Buy me anything? Preferably something cute?" I asked, trying to sneak a glance into the bags. "Maybe, maybe not. Your birthday is in two weeks after all. And since you won't be home for the affair, we had to start planning now!" Mum smiled. "So all of that is for me?!" I asked excitedly. James set me down in front of our parents.

"It's certainly possible Lillian. But you won't find out until this weekend. We're all going to the Burrow to celebrate graduation, along with yours and Dom's birthdays on Friday. And yes Scorpius, before you ask, you may come!" Mum said, eyeing the kitchen. Half a second later, Scor emerged smiling. "Why thank you Mrs. Potter." He winked. Mum, my Mum, rolled her eyes at his cheeky grin.

"Lily, all the girls are invited, plus their families. James, you can bring Nadia because I'm sure Roxanne will be bringing her new boyfriend too." Dad said, winking at his oldest son. "Ted and Vic will be there, right?" I asked eagerly. I absolutely considered Teddy my biggest brother. He may have lived with his grandmother most of his life, he spent summers between his time at Hogwarts here. He's about ten years older, but he acts like a teenager so we get along perfectly. "They have to check. Nolan caught the flu, but they're hoping he's feeling better by then." Mum said sadly. "Maybe I'll go over to visit them tomorrow. I'm sure they have their hands full with Gabe running around too." I said, "Plus Dom will probably be there."

"That's a lovely idea sweetheart." Mum smiled. She and Dad headed upstairs to hide my gifts while the boys and I went into the living room to talk. "So what should we do today?" Al asked. "I have work soon, so I've got to go." James said, stretching. James had just started working as an intern at Saint Mungo's. He totally shocked the family when he announced what he was doing after graduation. Everyone expected him to be an Auror or play Quidditch.

Just before he Apparated out, some thought got into his head. His eyes flashed and he grabbed my hand, pulling me into the kitchen. "Muffliato." He said before glancing at me. "What?" I asked suspiciously. "Want to know where Malfoy actually slept last night?" James asked. "Uh, I'm guessing the couch because that's what Al said." I snipped. He just shook his head. "Oh man. Did he and Al finally figure out that they're gay and love each other?!" I gasped. That got a little smile out of my big brother.

"You really have no idea. Merlin, what did you drink last night Lily?" James asked. "I have no idea. Damian got it for me. His house-elf made it." I said. "Can you remember anything from last night? Coming home?" James continued pushing me for information. "No, I just kind of assumed Damian brought me back." I said quietly. "No Lily. Scor did. And he slept in your bed. I saw him this morning because I got up early to start on the muffins. Mum and Dad had already left to go shopping. Do you have any idea how lucky you two are that it wasn't our parents that caught you?" James began his lecture. My face paled and my vision grew fuzzy.

"First of all, why the hell were you in my room to begin with? That's weird. Second of all, don't you think I would remember if Scor slept in my bed? And even if by some magic he really did, absolutely nothing happened. He's like my brother. No way would something like what you're thinking happen." I snapped. "This is you, acting like an annoying prick. God, get a life. You're engaged, why are you not living with Nadia yet? She's alone in her flat in London while you're here, baking raspberry muffins!" I exclaimed. I knew I was hitting a low blow, but at that moment I didn't care. He's absolutely ridiculous to be spying on me and making up lies. James started to say something, but I huffed and walked out of the kitchen, breaking the spell.

See, the thing is, James has never been fond of Scor. While we were growing up, Uncle Ron used to tell us horror stories about everything the Malfoys did. We were aware that Draco had a son around our age. Uncle Ron gave us strict instructions not to associate ourselves with him. Obviously Al didn't care and now they're best friends. Its really been the best thing for all of us. The world has been able to move on now that two annoying teenagers are friends. They're kind of like a gay Romeo and Juliet!

The two boys in question were still in the living room, rubbing their ears. "I hate when you two do that!" Al complained. "Sorry, James wanted to know if he should add anything to those muffins. Like a secret ingredient." I said. Scor raised his eyebrow at me. He could tell I was upset, I know I don't hide things very well. Even though I'm positive nothing happened between us, his look brought a blush to my cheeks. "I'm going to get ready then head over to Lissa's. Oh, Al! I meant to tell you last night but I didn't see you. She wants to say thank you for defending her. It meant a lot." I smile, knowing this would make his day. Now it was Al's turn to blush.

"I was just doing what was right." Al said nobly. I smiled then made my way upstairs, still avoiding Malfoy's eyes. There was no way James was right. Scor is just Scor. If he did bring me home, it was just because we're best friends. No strings attached. Had things changed recently? I wasn't sure I would notice. As far as I could tell, we acted like ourselves, just like we always have. I'll have to ask Lissa if she's noticed anything.

After my much needed shower, I quick put on my favorite pair of jeans and a grey camisole. There was no need for makeup, since the chances of Lissa being able to leave the house were very slim, so I just braided my hair into a French braid down my back and skipped down the stairs.

The boys were still sitting the same way they were when I left. Thankfully, James had apparently left. "It would do you two some good to bathe and brush your teeth at some point in the near future. I smell you both from over here." I teased. "Oh we smell, do we Albus?" Scor asked his best friend. Oh crap, there was that glint in his grey eyes again. "Apparently so Scorpius. What shall we do about this?" Al replied with a cheeky grin. Double crap. They're planning something. They both stood up and stared at me deviously.

"Do not come near me. Don't even think about it!" I warned, stepping back. They just laughed and ran towards me. I shrieked as they both hugged me and breathed on me. "God it's worse than I thought!" I laughed. I felt Scor's arm wrap around my waist while Al tugged at my hair.

"Say that we're gorgeous hunky men that smell like perfection, or else you're being thrown in the pool!" Al threatened. Scor tossed me over his shoulder and made his way to the backyard. I screamed and shrieked the entire way. "No, please please please please do not do this!" I screamed. "Say it or you're going in!" The boys threatened. "Fine, you are both gorgeous hunky men that smell like perfection! Even though one of you is my brother and that sentence makes it look like we're incest or something!" I screeched. Scor set me down gently on the ground, right next to the pool. "Why thank you Red. You aren't that bad yourself." He grinned cheekily. I smirked at him.

Just as I started walking away, the freaks were giggling and high-fiving each other. So while their backs were turned, I snuck behind them and pushed them into the pool. They screamed and hugged each other mid-air as they were falling. When their heads popped up, I had tears rolling down my face from laughing so hard. "Told you two you needed to shower!" I giggled before Apparating out of there.

I was still laughing when I arrived at Lissa's house. I had Apparated to her backyard, next to their porch. Avoiding the dog poop in the yard, I hopped up the deck stairs and knocked on the front door. Lissa's older brother Jude answered the door. He grinned and hugged me. "Wotcher Lily. Lissa is up in her room. Serena just brought her lunch up." He said. "Thanks Jude!" I said before bouncing around the house and running up the stairs. "Hi Mr. Whitlock!" I called, spying him in his study. He chuckled and greeted me.

When I got to Lissa's door, it was firmly shut. I began to rethink me coming over unannounced. Well, technically it wasn't totally unannounced. Every year we got together to figure out what we were going to do special for Dom's birthday. Usually Kate and Arden would join us, but they had gone to visit Kate's grandparents in Greece for a few days. "Come in Lily, I know you're out there." Lissa called from inside. Taking a deep breath, I entered a room almost as familiar as my own.

"Good morning! How are you today?" Lissa asked with a huge smile on her face. Well damn, that was unexpected. "For someone cursed yesterday, you sure seem awfully chipper." I laughed. Lissa smiled serenely. "I don't know. I feel…calm? God I sound crazy. But besides the whole passing out immediately thing right after, there haven't been any other side effects; just this weird sense of calm." Lissa explained.

"Huh, weird. At least you're okay. And a calm Lissa is always a good Lissa. Oh gosh, you wouldn't believe the night I had." I started. I flopped myself onto her bed and flipped my head over the side. "I went to Damian's for the party. I really had no intention of drinking but he kinda made me. He gave me this crazy pink drink that got me _so drunk_!" I continued telling her about my night. Her eyes bulged a little when I told her about the drink, but it honestly wasn't my fault! Some house-elf obviously got confused with what Damian had asked for.

When I told her what James had said this morning, she blushed delicately. "What? Do you think he was telling the truth?" I demanded. "It's just that, well, I think Scorpius definitely has feelings for you. You don't see how you two act together. I get that you're just friends and everything, but you're different with him than with say, Frankie. And why on earth would James lie?" Lissa's question instantly made me think. She was right; James had no reason to lie to me. "I think you're more upset that he was spying on you than the actual fact the Scorpius could have slept in your bed." Lissa pointed out.

"Maybe, I guess. I don't know. What if Scor really did sleep in my bed last night? Does it mean anything?" I thought aloud. "That depends on how the both of you handle yourselves." Lissa said wisely. I looked at my best friend in respect. When did she get so smart? She's always been clever, but she has totally sucked at advice.

I threw a pillow at her, laughing. "Okay sensei, we came here for a reason." I giggled. She waggled her eyebrows at me. "Wow, I got a giggle out of Lillian Luna Potter. Someone call the press!" Lissa giggled. I rolled my eyes but smiled. As we talked about our plans for Dom tomorrow, we wrote a few letters to Kate and Arden so they weren't left out.

"I think this is going to be the best surprise for Dom we've ever done!" Lissa squealed. I totally agreed. "I should probably get outta here. I'm going to need a lot of sleep to be ready for tomorrow." I hugged my blonde best friend goodbye then Apparated home. Hopefully Dom liked what we have planned for her tomorrow.

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**Hope you're enjoying! I have a beta now so these chapters may change and stuff. **

**Feel free to review! It helps so much!**


	5. Chapter 5

When I got home, it was relatively calm. Al and Scor had gone over to Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's house to see Rose while Mum and Dad left for work. They were pretty lucky when it came to job hours. Dad is Head Auror so he can go in whenever he wants. Mum writes the Quidditch column for the Daily Prophet, so she really only needs to go to work when she has to hand in a new article. No one really pegged Mum as a writer, and I don't think she did either, until she was offered the job. The first couple of articles were pretty rough, but she's gotten so much better.

It was nice to have the house to myself for a while. I meandered around. It was a pretty rare thing for me to be home alone. When we were younger, Teddy and Vic used to babysit us. Once the boys went to school, I almost always had the girls over or I went to one of their houses. I could do anything I wanted right now! Have a party! Run around naked! Have a party and run around naked!

Okay, maybe not that last one.

Instead, I decided to cook dinner for the family. Nana Weasley had given each of her children a cookbook full of her recipes. Using that would be easier than cooking from scratch. I chose my absolute favorite meal, smoked ham and homemade macaroni and cheese. Simple…or at least I thought it would be. Just as I started to cook, there was a knock on the door.

I was hesitant to answer. Dad had always warned us of the potential dangers around us. Even though the Old War was over, there was clearly a new threat. It sometimes seemed stronger than even Voldemort. But in order to even find our house, someone had to tell you. We've been under the Fidelius Charm for my entire life. Grimmauld Place is probably the safest place in the United Kingdom, besides Hogwarts of course. Mum and Daddy gutted the whole place and rebuilt it the way they wanted. I adore the place. The old Black family tree room was redone to represent the Weasley-Potter-Lupin clan. The whole house is bright and warm and just beautiful.

So, I opened the door. Am I naïve? Absolutely. But I was met with a high pitch squeal. "Hiya Auntie Lily!" Gabriel screeched, launching himself into me for a hug. I was too shocked to do anything besides hug him back. "Gabe, honey, what are you doing here? How did you get here?" I asked, scooping my nephew into my arms. His hair was jade green today, not very appealing. But his eyes were his signature copper color. "I came all on my own! Mummy took me wif her to get brother more medicine. I knew where I was, so I came here because Mummy was boring! I squeezeded my eyes shut and thought about broomsticks and the house appeared!" Gabe explained to me. I could tell he was extremely proud of himself, but I knew this was wrong.

"Gabriel Isaac Lupin! That's naughty of you! I bet Mummy is worried sick. I am taking you back to your house right now! Let me just take dinner off the stove." I quickly shut the oven off, wrote a note in case anyone came home, and grabbed myself a coat. Gabe sat at the table, swinging his little legs back and forth. I felt terrible yelling at him, I'm the fun auntie.

"Come along you. I'm guessing Mummy was at Saint Mungo's?" I took Gabe's hand as we left the house and made our way down the street, Gabe talked a mile a minute about pretty much everything in his life. "Nollie is sick. Like, really sick. Mummy has him sleeping on the couch and not in our room anymore." Gabe said sadly, "I miss him."

"Is that why you came to my house? You wanted someone to play with?" I knelt down to be at eye level with my godson. Yes, I'm a wee bit young to be a godmother, seeing as I was only about twelve when Gabe and Nolan were born, but these boys had quickly wrapped everyone around their twenty fingers. Dom was Nolan's godmother while Gabe was my darling godson. It was trickier for the happy couple to pick godfathers. Let's just say that Al still holds resentment towards Ted and Vic.

Gabe's little eyes transformed to the exact shade that Nolan's eyes usually are; aquamarine blue. "Maybe. We always play Auntie Lily!" Gabe cried. It absolutely broke my heart when little tears streamed down his cheeks. I scooped him into my arms. "I'm sorry baby. I promise I will come over more to play okay? Its summer now! I'm home again which means I'm all yours!" I soothed him as I walked closer to the hospital. Gabe sniffled and pulled back to look me in the eyes. "Promise?" He gave me a look that said he doubted it would happen.

"I promise, bug! If I don't come through, you can cut my hair for me at Christmas!" I promised. Gabe giggled and buried his head into my shoulder as I carried him. With the tantrum averted, I focused on looking for the entrance to the hospital. I'd always been terrible at figuring out which rundown store it was. When the twins were born, I had wandered around for hours searching for the entrance

Thankfully, Vic was waiting outside. Nolan was in one arm and she held her phone to her ear with her other hand. She sighed with relief when she finally noticed Gabe and me coming her way. "Gabriel Isaac Lupin vous êtes dans la merde! Je suis tellement putain de fou, je ne peux même pas penser à ta punition! Juste attendre jusqu'à ce que je dis ton père! Mais oh merci Merlin vous êtes en sécurité!" Victoire screeched at Gabe. As you can tell, when she's extremely upset or extremely happy about something, she breaks out her French. Oh Merlin, imagine what she screams at Teddy when they, you know.

Getting rid of that mental picture as fast as I could, I traded kids with Vic. Nolan felt like he was so much lighter than Gabe now, and he cuddled himself into the crook of my shoulder. My heart broke that he felt this sick. I've been around her and Dom enough to understand French. Nolan, on the other hand, barely understands English let alone his mother's crazy language. "Auntie Lily, what is Mummy saying now?" Nolan asked me. "Oh nothing baby. She's just telling Gabe that he's in big trouble." I rubbed Nolan on the back. He simply nodded. Vic was still fawning over Gabe, silent tears streaming down her face.

"I thought something terrible happened. I thought someone took him. I don't know what I would have done if someone had hurt him." Vic cried. I smiled slightly. "No worries, he just wanted to visit his Auntie. He's safe Vic." I hugged my sister in law, despite the children we were both holding. She sniffled, but smiled. "I probably gave Ted a heart attack. I called him at work asking if he took Gabe with him because he had a breakthrough with a case. When he said no, I may have screamed. He's probably worried sick." Vic wiped at her eyes. She had finally regained control of herself.

"I could stop by the office and let him know Gabe is okay, if you want. I have to talk to James anyway." I offered. I knew I needed to apologize to my brother after what I said this morning. He was just trying to look out for me. And before you ask, no; I do not believe him that Scor was in my bed. It's a ridiculous idea, honestly.

"Lily darling, the boys are lucky to have you. Love you sweetheart. Seriously, thank you so much for bringing him back. I'm sorry I lost track of him." Vic apologized. "Don't even say it. I'm glad I could help. Anything for my favorite godson." I kissed Gabe's head goodbye before giving Nolan a big hug.

"You better be all better for Friday Nolan. There's going to be a party for Auntie Dom and me! And I think there's a piece of chocolate cake with your name on it!" I tickled the little boy in my arms. Lifting his head, which seemed like such a struggle, Nolan smiled up at me. "That sounds yummy!"

Vic's mouth dropped into a perfect little O. Sometimes, I really hated those Delacour-Weasley girls. Sure, they're my family and some of my favorite cousins, but did they have to be so bloody beautiful? Their perfect blonde hair, perfect bright blue eyes, and I have never seen Dom or Vic with an imperfection on their skin. They were by far the prettiest girls wherever they went.

"Those are the first words he's spoken in days Lily! If I had known all he wanted was a piece of cake, I would have opened a freaking bakery!" Vic laughed. Smiling, I handed her Nolan. "Yeah, it's probably the charm of his absolute favorite aunt that got him to speak. I've been known to have that affect on people."

"And which affect are you talking about; the affect to make people talk or the affect of driving people to stuff their faces with cake?" Vic joked. I rolled my eyes at my sister-in-law. I can honestly say I didn't think I would ever call her that. She has been all drama since the moment she was born. When I was little, and before Teddy realized he loved her, he used to tell me horror stories from their childhood. Once, she screamed for seven hours because Teddy changed his hair color from pink to black. Vic was mad because pink was her favorite color and Teddy had ruined it.

Their relationship hadn't been very solid either. They started going out right before her seventh year. When Teddy was relocated to France to train to become as Auror, he'd broken things off with Vic. They only reunited for about seven months after that before they got engaged. It was a whirlwind engagement and then they were married. Gabe and Nolan made their debut barely nine months later. Nana had almost had a fit because it was so quick.

"Hey I'm doing you a favor here. Maybe I won't go to the office to visit Teddy and James." I teased. Now it was Vic's turn to roll her eyes. "Are you coming to visit Dom tomorrow? She's staying at our place while Maman and Dad are in France." Vic explained.

"Yeah totally. We'll be there bright and early with all of our surprises! And then heading back to my place for a sleepover before going to the Burrow for the party Friday." I told her our plan for Dom tomorrow. Graciously, she offered to help in any way possible. After that, we parted ways and I went in to the hospital to use their Floo network so I could get to the Ministry.

Since I couldn't Floo directly into my Dad's office, I had to use the fireplaces in the main lobby just like everyone else. I pushed through the hundreds of bodies fighting for a place on the lift. It was times like this that I appreciated being so tiny. Just as the doors to a lift were closing, I wedged myself in. Sure, I got some nasty looks from the people that didn't make it on, but all is fair in love and lifts!

On the second level of the Ministry, I set off in search of Teddy. "And what brings you to the Ministry Ms. Potter?" said a familiar voice behind me. I turned and there was my big brother, his black hair as messy as this morning. "I need to talk to Teddy. Vic called him because she though Gabe got taken but he just came to our house." I explained. James wouldn't even look me in the eyes. It was pretty obvious that he was still hurt by everything I said this morning.

"James, I'm sorry about this morning. I get that you're just trying to help and all. But how would you like it if I snuck in your room while you and Nadia were together? And I still don't believe you actually saw Malfoy in my bed. It's ludicrous." I said to my brother. He finally looked at me.

"We're going to have to agree to disagree sister. I know exactly what I saw. You were just too freaking drunk to remember what happened. But I'll let it go. Ted is in his office." James said. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. For as much as we fight, I realize how great of a big brother I really have. "I still love you Jamsie." I mumbled into his chest, which rumbled with laughter. "Love you too kid. Now go find Ted before he calls all the Aurors to find Gabe."

When I finally found Teddy, he was busy pacing his office. I could practically see the indents in the floor where he'd been walking. "Teddy. Ted? TED REMUS LUPIN!" I had to scream to get Teddy to actually notice me standing in his door way. My shouting snapped him out of his thoughts. "Lily why the hell are you screaming in my office?" Teddy seemed totally offended. "Oh I don't know; maybe because my brother was too lost in his own thoughts to notice his favorite baby sister?" I teased.

"Seriously, why are you here? I'm waiting for Vic to call. She lost my fucking kid at Saint Mungo's." Teddy said. Woah, I'm sensing hostility here. "It wasn't her fault. Gabe walked to my house because he wanted to play. With Nolan sick, he was lonely. He made it seem like you guys only paid attention to Nolan." I explained. Teddy's hair changed from the black he had been sporting when I walked in, to a vibrant red. Shit, he's pissed.

"He walked…to your house? He's four. How the hell did he manage that?" Teddy asked. Despite his angry hair, I saw the relief cloud his face. "We've gone on walks before. It's only a few blocks away." I pointed out. I walked to his desk and sat down like she did when she was younger. "And for the record, you wouldn't understand what Gabe said about us paying more attention to Nolan. When one four year old has a 104o temperature and is as sick as a dog, he's naturally going to get more attention." Teddy snapped. I raised my eyebrows at his harsh tone.

"I'm sorry. We haven't been getting much sleep lately. This thing with Nolan is seriously stressing us out." Teddy said. Sitting down in one of the armchairs across from his desk, he put his head into his hands and went silent. "He'll be fine Teddy. I got him to talk today. He's going to get better by Friday because I promised him a huge piece of chocolate cake." I laughed. Teddy picked his head up and smiled.

We said our goodbyes and I promised I would see him tomorrow too. Normally I would have stopped at my Daddy's office to say hi. But I still hadn't finished cooking dinner for the whole family! I rushed home to finish it, with just five minutes to spare before Mum and Al arrived home. Surprisingly, Al didn't have Scor with him.

"Lily, did you really cook dinner? How did I get so lucky to have such a wonderful daughter?" Mum asked herself before engulfing me in a hug. "I wouldn't get too excited. You haven't even tried it yet." I joked. "Yeah Mum, I think I may order a pizza, just in case." Al teased from his usual spot on the couch in the next room.

Since this was our first real family dinner of the summer, Dad arrived home with ice cream and Treacle Tarts. It was a perfect evening with the family I'd missed so much during the school year. With Al being in Slytherin and James graduated, it was difficult to spend time with my brothers. We've always been super close, especially as kids. They were sometimes overprotective bears but other times they acted just like we were best friends. They're sweet, sometimes.

I've had my share of hard times with them though. Al wasn't exactly excited when I was born. He has just turned two, and he didn't see why there needed to be another baby around. He didn't warm up to me until I was about a year old. James and I are too alike for our own good. Mum has always said that she was ready to send us to Hogwarts from the minute I learned how to talk, and argue, with James. I wonder how she's fairing with him home once again. At least he'll be moving out in a while to be with Nadia.

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**This is kind of a filler chapter, but oh well! You guys are going to love the next chapter! Thanks for reading!**


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